Do not follow Simple Audio Player example - DAC0 now non-functional on DUE

Hi,
I was using my own DDS Code - RCArduino: Arduino Due DDS - Part 1 - Sinewaves and Fixed Point Maths - against an LM386 circuit which I have used extensively on UNO's and Mega's. DAC0 is dead, as a quick test I tried DAC1 and its still working, I do not want to use it though until I know why DAC0 has failed.

My board has the DAC outputs labelled DAC1 and DAC0 .

Duane B

rcarduino.blogspot.com

hi,

my DAC0 also died :frowning: but DAC1 is still working.. why is it the DAC0 only dies and not the DAC1??
is that a hardware failure? or something else?

and what do do now? van this be fixed somehow?

Floris

DAC0 is the one you learn on, DAC1 is the one you then take care of.

Duane B

1 Like

I'm still confused as to how exactly we have blown these up. Technically there is only one DAC, it is multiplexed to two sample/hold buffers. So somehow we must have blown the last output transistor. Yet the pin still works fine for digitalWrite/Read. Personally I'm waiting for the Due to be more widely available, then I was going to try overloading DAC1 in a controlled way until it breaks too, to try and find where the limits are.

Incidentally by my calculation it should be possible to get 11 bits at 41kHz from the PWM hardware, and that has 8 channels :smiley:

Rather than blow one up which tells you little why not look in the data sheet.
The problem with a distruction test is that it tells you nothing of the situation where it still works but damage is being done so that it has a reduced life time.

Grumpy_Mike:
Rather than blow one up which tells you little why not look in the data sheet.

The SAM3X/A datasheet:
Page 1369:
45.5.3 Conversion Performances

  • For performance and electrical characteristics of the DACC, see the product DC Characteristics
    section.

Page 1391:
46.2 DC Characteristics
I(OH) (ISource) for pins in Group 2 (which include the DAC), is -3mA.
I(OL) (ISink) for pins in Group 2 (which include the DAC), is 6mA.

Pins in Group 2:
PA[1-6], PA8, PA[10-13], PA[16-17], PA[20-24], PB[4-7], PB9, PB[12-13], PB[15-21],PB[25-31],PE[10-14], PE16, PE22,
PE24, PE26, PF[3-5]

Group 1 (most other) pins have limits of -15/9mA.


The minimum allowed load (by spec, conservative) is 3.3V/.003A =1100 ohms. Personally, I would never intentionally come close to this low of a load for this chip.

The information in this thread: http://arduino.cc/forum/index.php/topic,132130.0.html applies to everyone, even us audio guys.

-Chris
(not an audio guy)

DuaneB:
DAC0 is the one you learn on, DAC1 is the one you then take care of.

Duane B

destructive testing :~

chriskner:
I(OH) (ISource) for pins in Group 2 (which include the DAC), is -3mA.
I(OL) (ISink) for pins in Group 2 (which include the DAC), is 6mA.

That is the spec for the digital output stage of the PIO pins, not the analog stage of the DAC. (They are the maximum loads for the digital output to reach a specified voltage level at a specified speed - not the absolute maximum current)

What I'm looking for is some specification of output impedance or output resistance (ie the minimum resistance on the output so that the output voltage is still accurate to 12 bits without distortion) - usually called RL or RLOAD or Z

I've looked and looked through the SAM3X datasheet for the specifications for the DAC and they are missing. But I think I may have found something useful. The SAM3S datasheet has a section on the electrical characteristics of its DAC which is mostly the same as the SAM3X, except that it also includes a table on analog output specifications (on p1033), which gives RLOAD as minimum 5k ohms. Given the similarities I shall assume this is true for the SAM3X too.

Hi, before I destroy my DAC, there is something I don't understand, how can a board source a negative intensity? Is it because we are supposed to use our speaker tied to the DAC and 3.3V?

The example is still the same. One more fried DAC0. I emailed support. Please change this example.

DukeResonant:
The example is still the same. One more fried DAC0. I emailed support. Please change this example.

http://arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/SimpleAudioPlayer It ONLY shows how to use an LM386 amplifier, and clearly says "Warning: do not connect the speaker directly to the pins of the Arduino Due."

This is the source I found, not your link

ALL instances of this must be changed. I don;t know where your link came from. This is where I found the code. Also, assuming that someone is using the IDE from a computer that is not connected to the internet, the link you posted is not available to them. Only thing available is a comment in the example code that reads: "connect speaker to DAC0.

Offer to replace one board, offer to replace any board damaged by this example. Some "community" you represent.

I, too, followed the above linked example and connected the speaker to DAC0, where it did not produce a sound. I then, without modifying the sound, connected it to DAC1 where it did (albeit faintly and for some time), despite the code referencing DAC0. In this case, could it simply be that DAC0 is not being driven at all?

Either that or I have also fried my DAC0.

But that example code says

*Audio amplifier circuit with speaker attached to DAC0

Where does it say connect the speaker directly?
Unless you took that to mean the speaker was connected to the DAC0 in which case what did you think the amplifier was doing?

Clearly I'm missing something here. Where does it say to connect a speaker to the output pin? The code says:

*Audio amplifier circuit with speaker attached to DAC0

(my emphasis)

It would appear someone may have interpreted that as:

*Audio amplifier circuit with speaker attached to DAC0

But if so, where does the amplifier come into it? Put aside on the bench?

Is there another link that I am unaware of? One that says "connect your speaker to the output pin"?

DukeResonant:
Only thing available is a comment in the example code that reads: "connect speaker to DAC0.

No, it doesn't. Not on the page I can see.

It says:

  *Audio amplifier circuit with speaker attached to DAC0

If you are viewing a different page please provide a link to it.

Have I stumbled on another issue? Please assist:

http://forum.arduino.cc//index.php?topic=193753.msg1431198#msg1431198

Cheers,
Courtney

Currently i am working on RTC based music player.If i chose TMRpcm library then my RTC does not work perfectly,i think I2c and SPI conflict with each other and TMRpcm works under timer section.

If i chose separate section then how to communicate with each other.If i chose I2c based communication then One arduino will be worked under RTC and other arduino board will be worked under SPI SD card reader and play music.So, please help me this section.So, i will complete my project.

Hi,

I am no programmer or electrical anything. I am a music teacher trying to make a musical toy prototype.

And yes, I also think I fried my DAC0.